Freeing the Klamath River

[@gup8175]

“Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” - Chief Seattle

[@RonS.-ts8ec]

I'm 62 years old, when I was a young boy( 1971) my grandpa told me that when he was a young boy roughly 1920, his dad would take him and his brothers to the San juaquin river in Fresno California. Just below where friant dam is now. Before the dam was built, and they would use long poles with frog gigs attached, and they would speer salmon, he said there was so many salmon you could cross the river on the backs of salmon there were so many. I've seen pictures, there were lots of them and they were big. No salmon anymore, when friant dam was built that ended the salmon in the river in Fresno California.

[@beckyhenkel7917]

Very sad.

[@emanuelcarr8279]

Very sad. We are in a great place in America, to promote environmental awareness and respect for Mother Nature. We need to focus on the 18-28 year old demographic population of young adults that are currently lost. Our youth and older adults are doing quite well now. If we can bring the young adults back to the good side of things, then we can live harmoniously in nature on earth.

[@robertmarmaduke9721]

Countering your argument Karluk River on Kodiak was one of the largest salmon runs in the Western hemisphere but keeping a cannery running that far west closed it down. The salmon run never increased back again. The only surviving runs today are hatchery like PWS. Even most of the hatchery Fed river runs have fallen below sport fishing levels. Blow up all the dams the runs have not returned anywhere they have. False hope Klimate )esus.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

@@robertmarmaduke9721 not sure how to interpret this.....Are you saying take out all the dams? Or keep them in place? Confusing comment.

[@philrilp6711]

Very true, would have loved to see/fish the San Joaquin in it's heyday, safe to say those days are gone forever, the friant dam is not going anywhere, however that said it's amazing what nature can do if just given a fighting chance, there is a project called SJRRP a long term effort to restore the san joaquin between the dam and the confluence of the merced and bring back the chinook. Hard to believe the stories of old when compared to the current 100 mile section that runs dry do to water diversions, and then you hear about an event that drives home the miracle that nature is and what it could be if allowed the chance to run its course. In a fish report from 2016 titled Salmon Die-Off in Fourteen Mile Slough by California Delta Chambers & Visitors Bureau date 12-25-2016 listed the details of the event I remembered reading about almost a decade ago, 14 mi slough is a cut of waterway that looks like a drainage ditch or creek surrounded by residential housing developments traversing through a city size of 200,000. From the main deep water channel near the Port of Stockton CA it's mouth is barely noticeable and hardly traversable in anything smaller than a john boat that rapidly reduces to a creek and finally just ends near a development of roads and houses that line its banks the entire time before fully enclosing it, perhaps at it's deeper pools near the confluence with the san joaquin an occasional channel cat could be found, but nothing deeper into the city as it shallowed into a dried up dead end. Yet in this year there was high water and low behold they found almost 50 dead salmon with eggs in the mud dried up next them. It is suspected the fish came up the slough thinking it would take them to spawning grounds up river but when they became trapped they tried to spawn in the mud flats. But the most incredible thing is that this was in 2016, the friant dam went in the 1940's and has since desecrated the runs, but yet here was this rogue pod that came in during high water run offs still honed into the san joaquin river after almost a century? Think these fish can't rebound? I wonder how many of the Sacramento Chinook population has roots in the san joaquin and just needs to taste the flow again to return, albeit hopefully to a restored river with spawning habitat and not a dried up city ditch. But given an opportunity nature will thrive. Thanks for sharing your story it reminded me of this story I had forgotten about and was able to search and find it. I have been fishing the klamath since I was able to, my grandpa started going up there in the 1950's and my dad started taking me before I could walk in the 70's and it's been a long time coming these removals many thanks to the tribal communities that kept fighting for it.

[@kristinebailey6554]

Watching from Colorado. I had not heard anything about this until I came upon the video. This is fantastic news, for an event long overdue.

[@rodniegsm1575]

Westerners always think they can bent nature to tgere wil. Always its not them who are adapting to their invirement. They always want the invirement to bent to their will. Whether it's the land or the people. No wonder they are so cursed

[@J.GabrielFraley]

Thank you for highlighting this major ecological restoration project! It is the largest project of its kind at the moment.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

Great report. I'm surprised at how little reporting there is on this project. It's truly monumental and tremendously overdue. Thank you for the great report!

[@AndrewKarmy]

OPB has had an ongoing series of reports from the area.

[@troyalger1603]

There's none because they messed up. The whole river is now contaminated with all sorts of metals. Plus all the fish they're trying to save they killed.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

​@@troyalger1603 I live in Jackson county Oregon, less than a half hour away from the project. I visit the three dams weekly to see the progress first hand. Please stop spreading lies about this project. The locals that support this project are tired of the small group of closed-minded, uninformed, far-right conspiracy theorists spreading misinformation. Please stop! Your paranoid, low information rumors are unappreciated.

[@BG-gk6jf]

Troy, Your ignorance will limit your life forever.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

@@troyalger1603 Rivur look mudy, me only sea mudy rivur in front of me face. me no undurstand long-turm, me no trust outsydurs! CHaynje bad! guvurmint bad! everything bad! Me no see long turm. me no trust syince, me not no how too think for me-self. Me Siskiyou man!

[@emanuelcarr8279]

A great example of dam removal projects is the Elwa River in Washington state. If I recall correctly, it took approximately seven years to clear the massive amounts of sediment in that river. Hoping and praying that the animals (ie: Deer, salmon, etc.) are able to survive and continue to thrive in the Klamath river. The humans will adapt, overcome, and find other places to live in the vast abundance of North America.

[@boblove6865]

The real story on the Elwha is really just how fast she is rebounding. Wild summer Steelhead have repopulated the river. The genetics saved above the dams in the resident rainbows for a century.❤ Freeing up the worlds rivers is a good way to fight the climate change as well

[@troyalger1603]

The river is now dead. So much metals are in the sludge. So sad the government didn't think twice before removing all dams at once.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

@@troyalger1603 I think the plan was to try and get all the sediment out in one summer so it wouldn't be lingering around for years. Seems like a bit of a sacrifice now, but in the long-term, it was the best thing to do. Give it a year or two. I think things will be fine.

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

They should’ve judged it mixed it all up before they broke down

[@kingjsolomon]

Water is Life 💙

[@kylekellerglass]

Thank you to the Yurok tribe for what your doing ❤

[@jeromedamian5740]

I remember 2002 I was there. I walked that river. I saw nothing but death everywhere, Salmon Steelhead and silvers in that system died all for greed . They need to shut down harvesting for a few years to bring back those population of fish .

[@stevens1041]

I think its important to think about things in their own context, rather than seeing everything as part of some global trend. I've been to the area in question here, and its not a heavily populated region, nor is it heavily industrialized. The dams can and should go. Civilization and the big cities, very far from here, will be just fine. The angry commenters will move on with their lives and won't visit here anyways. A bit of wilderness will recover and it will be a great thing.

[@thems_the_brakes]

I'm all for this project, but anyone expecting the Spring Chinook runs to come back will be badly disappointed. Tributaries not blocked by dams have lost 90%+ of their runs.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Let’s hope over the next 100 years salmon run will recover

[@primitivejoe553]

No silver bullets, but dam removal will help, and the rest of what needs to be done can be addressed after.

[@boblove6865]

The simple fact the fish aren’t returning may have more to do with the estuary than the actual creeks. With these dams coming down millions of pounds of sentiment will rebuild the nursery’s these fish need to survive the early life stages. The changing ocean conditions are another factor but taking down dams is always a step in the right direction

[@thems_the_brakes]

​@@boblove6865 Not trying to be a negative nancy - just trying to be realistic - but the klamath actually has had plenty of sediment. Most of the mountains contributing erosion and sediment from wildfires are downstream of the dams, and there has been plenty of sediment in the system in the last 10 years due to some bad fires. Once the estuary reaches equilibrium, it will more than likely look exactly the same as it did before dam removal. It's not like the Elwha, where almost the entirety of the river was upstream of the dam, so all the sediment was blocked. The best argument would seem to be that main channel temperatures and water quality should improve for over-summering adults, but if you look at tributaries like the south fork - which is only tangentially affected by water quality from the dams - their runs are all but gone. In other spring-run systems around california such as butte creek, spring chinook runs are down 90%+ (probably more like 95%), and they have comparatively less dam influence than Keno will continue provide.

[@thems_the_brakes]

​@@boblove6865 ugh, typed out a whole response but it didn't get posted! Not trying to be a negative nancy - just trying to be realistic - but the Klamath has had plenty of sediment. Most of the mountains, erosion and forest fires are actually downstream of the dam, so the estuary will likely look identical once it comes back to equilibrium. It's not like the Elwha where almost the entirety of the river and sediment was blocked by the dam. The best argument for improved numbers would probably be that main channel temps and water quality will be improved for over-summering adult fish, but even on the South fork trinity which has very limited main-channel influence, spring runs are basically gone. If you look at other drainages like Butte creek, where dam influence is comparatively less than what Keno will continue to have on the Klamath, their runs are down 95%+.

[@Gurren813]

There wouldn't be water problems if the farmers weren't growing non-native things like Almonds that require so much water to survive that they choke the life out of every water source.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Regardless of which side of the argument you are on, electrical infrastructure was end of life and the cost to replace hydroelectric equipment versus the amount of power it produced didn’t make economic sense. Cheaper to produce electricity with solar panels which combined with grid scale battery storage can give us 7x24 power at a cheaper rate. PS - some of these dams also did not meet modern earthquake engineering standards so retrofitting would have been an additional unknown cost.

[@robertmarmaduke9721]

Solar will never be grid-level, all the grid-level attempts went bankrupt, there are no 'grid-level battery banks' either, and no technology is promising any, ... other than pumped dam storage ... _and you just blew up the dam!_ 😜💩

[@mountainhunter3340]

Sorry, you are not getting 7X24 power at a cheaper rate then what Hydro elec dams provide. That is myth and lie.

[@RonS.-ts8ec]

Good thing we have gas n diesel to charge those batts

[@johnkilty1419]

You forgot Sun, wind and hydro. Zero power plants are powered with gasoline or diesel.@@RonS.-ts8ec

[@stevens1041]

@@johnkilty1419 incorrect. I have seen power stations that had diesel generators for secondary peaking power generation, equal to about 25% of overall MW output in an otherwise natural gas power station.

[@peterdorn5799]

it's 2024v and getting closer to a free flowing klamath

[@Cobbmtngirl]

Thank you tribal members for making this happen! With respect.

[@sophiareygrace6656]

Lovely video! Hope more dams are removedd

[@nicholasimhoff9230]

Interestingly, on Monday this February 2024, CDFW released 850,000 salmon fry into the Klamath above iron gate reservoir. They subsequently died, a colossal mistake on the hands of Fish and wildlife

[@unboxinglife2308]

They don’t want to talk about that.

[@richard-cf8ce]

But it's probably about right on par for their work right

[@christianishima7098]

Hence why the damn is being destroyed once again conservationists win

[@johnkilty1419]

850,000 fry is nothing to reproduce. Yes they did talk about it. I heard about it and so did everyone I talked to. There will be some growing pains to undue the years of damage and abuse to the eco system.

[@johnkilty1419]

Yay!@@christianishima7098

[@cherylsibson2529]

Thanks, great report.

[@RonHudgens-ck5qe]

Want help! Until Beavers are put back in the habitat to make ponds for the salmon fry ,, Forestry companies are the problem for the lose of the beaver ponds... Look at what happened when the Elwa River dam was removed,,Beavers returned,, their ponds allowed salmon fry a place to learn and grow,, and get the strength to survive the rigors of the Ocean's. ..... BEAVERS ARE NEEDED!!!!!

[@BG-gk6jf]

Agreeeeed!!! Stupid transplants and Overpaid City managers can't see this

[@williamdukeofnormandy1403]

Take out the dam.

[@honeyLXIX]

4:35 It's so sad that the corporate shill looking guy in his office is like "we cant manage water in the 21st century like we did in the 20th because theres simply not as much water" because you realize that the only reason they're actually willing to do this is because they arent making enough money off of it. 4:42 while these seemingly humble and inspiring yurok people have endured generations of injustice as the dam should have NEVER been placed there.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

That "corporate shill looking guy" is Craig Tucker. He works for the Karuk tribe, and he's about as far away from a corporate shill as you can get. I've met him in person several times and heard him speak in person. I think he's genuinely good.

[@GardenerEarthGuy]

Yurok never seem to mention those gill nets strung at the mouth of the river, weed grows along the river, and chemical drug manufacturing on that reservation- it's always this Great Spirit stuff... People are carjacked on the 101 in Klamath.

[@jefflanham1080]

Yep…….not to mention that the ONLY way to even begin a comeback would be a moratorium on commercial fishing. Maybe subsidize that instead of 100’s of billions to Ukraine???!! I’m a hard core conservative/leaning libertarian but I’m an outdoorsman as well and I’ve always realized that maybe just maybe you can’t have 50 million people sucking water out of the west coast, and agriculture and healthy rivers.

[@GardenerEarthGuy]

@@jefflanham1080 If you look at pictures of Klamath, before the marihuana and drugs- it was a thriving town. It's not that way any longer, it's a place you definitely don't want your car to break down at.

[@unboxinglife2308]

@@GardenerEarthGuy Saving Rural America kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZukpJ15gZ1nj80

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

The Yuroks have been eating salmon for thousands of years. There have always been plenty! The Yuroks didn't build the dams! Good try at blame shifting!

[@GardenerEarthGuy]

@@georgehaydukeiii6396 they have major criminal activity there and can't be trusted to keep records on fish count. Rogue River never came back, we can just hope Klamath does.

[@ryangibson7340]

Now we need the Tribes to run our Hatcheries. Bring back the runs we used to have.

[@stevet8121]

I just hope someday the Natives can once again commercially gill net the salmon like they did in the 70's 80's and 90's while the dams were there.

[@robertluitjens9044]

talk about delusional

[@cascaderetriever7618]

Imagine the damage the Skagit Dams are causing

[@jeremyparke-hoffman4648]

Even rivers without dams have seen their Chinook salmon populations decimated, especially by warming oceans temps, but also by a variety of other factors. Existing dams on the Skagit have fantastic salmon survival rates, and their removal would eliminate our biggest and most reliable source of renewable energy. I am hugely pro solar and wind, but turbines and panels have a lifecycle shorter than 20 years and cannot recycled due to the complexity of manufacturing. Replacing them causes huge swaths of land to be strip mined in an unsustainable manner.

[@flobie1kenobi]

In ten years, everybody will be complaining how expensive their electric bill is and will demand we build more dams.

[@robertluitjens9044]

there will be no more water or electricity that is the goal of these politicians people are so freaking blind

[@calebtolbertson7752]

Nevermind the fact that they just sent 5 million acres worth of silt and clay sediment down the river and obliterated the entire ecosystem. That whole watershed is going to have to start over. It's going to be at least 10 years probably 15 years before wild salmon get to their old spawning grounds. But instead they released hatchery fish that are going to 100% push out all of the wild salmon. There won't be anymore wild salmon!!

[@trippinoutdoors]

That's why they shouldn't have removed the dams in one go like they did. They need to do it in small steps, like they did with the Elwa dams in Washington. You incrementally take out small portions, little bit by little bit and observe so you can minimize any negative impacts from the force of the water released, as well as the massive amounts of sediment built up from the time the dams got built. Why the hell they just went with 1800s "just detonate the entire dam in one go" method is beyond me.

[@boblove6865]

@@trippinoutdoors but they did blowup the Elwha dams. They sent tons and tons of sediment down river. Now look at the estuary!

[@trippinoutdoors]

@@boblove6865 they did not. They even documented their demolitions in time lapse through the entire process from start to after completion. They took them apart in sections, slowly. Did they use explosives? Yes. But they did not just blow them completely apart and down in one go like a cooling tower at a decommissioned nuclear plant. No idea where so many people got that idea from that they did the same thing with the dams of the Elwa.

[@boblove6865]

@@trippinoutdoors Dude they blew Glines Canyon dam on the Elwha and sent all that silt into the estuary then they slowly tore the remaining structures out. The poor hatchery practices in CA are more of a problem than the sediment that will clean itself out. Broodstock for the win!

[@johnkilty1419]

Wrong! Sediment is measured in cubic yards, not by the millions of acres. The rive restoration has begun. This is the beginning not the end. Something wonderful is about to begin. Soon you will see for yourself.

[@SEFishing-j3m]

About time, now you can stop blaming alaskan fishermen for your salmon problems.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

They need to scrape out the sediment and place it on the banks as fertile soil. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing properly.

[@johnkilty1419]

They are doing that. And they are placing sediment back in the stream. Slowly.

[@CAOHnutrition]

What will replace the needs of agriculture and electric power generation?

[@robertluitjens9044]

they already have a water shortage theses politicians are going to starve everyone out this is just the beginning no damms no water no electricity cant wait till these self righteous people who think this is a good thing are going to fuck around and find out . the only reason they are doing this is to cause a water shortage they want complete destruction of the United States and they are doing it right in your face and saying it is for the environment when everything they do is to destroy America watch and see

[@trippinoutdoors]

The power company itself has noted many, many times the power these dams generate altogether (so all of them, not just the Copco dams) generated minimal power, in the single digit percent. On top of it, they are entirely obsolete as well, needing intensive refurbishment or outright needing to be rebuilt legally and otherwise, as well as reinforced to meet earthquake standards. So it made no sense for them to spend the money to do so at all. They were effectively pointless for everyone now. So the electricity complaints people against their removal are not relevant.

[@johnkilty1419]

You are late to the table! Do some reading and catch up! Both of those things have been hashed out time and time again.

[@stefanoflocchini7805]

And what of the 2024 fish kil

[@johnkilty1419]

What about the annual fish kill that happens in overheated water every year? Every year! Because of the dams!

[@frankalessio3374]

Stop all of the Netting Now.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

All the netting? Are you talking about the native tribal members that net a few salmon for the elders and ceremonies? They don't amount to anything. The Indians aren't the problem and they never have been the problem. Before the white people built the dams the Indians had plenty of salmon. leave the Indians alone!

[@notme4494]

How about freeing the cedar River Seattle

[@richard-cf8ce]

I was born in Fairbanks Alaska educated in Oregon fish and game has wreck everyone of ocean run fish salmon from Mexico to the Yukon river I am ashamed that our government

[@johnkilty1419]

This is the beginning of fixing that.

[@brethereneluck301]

In nz our Waikato river has multiple streams we’ve only use 1 part of that stream to use our hydro dams but the rest hasn’t been touched those stream run straight from our Waikato river back to the ocean and we’re only the size of two American states

[@Thereno1is]

I’dve rather lived in a warm pine forest in 6 rivers California, full of very rich chemicals from restored golds silver pt cu and some gemstone locations too. The point was the public would, I’m sure much rather do that, but it’s not getting coverage in the media. Precludes fires and death times so yeah you know, ✍🏼

[@johnkilty1419]

I have no idea what you just said, means.

[@Thereno1is]

@@johnkilty1419 the analytical sciences involving the survey of restored gold or gold/silver/platinums/cu ect preservation on wild land, in original locations, have no record in humanity…. I have personally seen cooling and significant precipitation in deep summer recently, in Six rivers from artificial gold/silver/pt/cu renditions and think that an overwhelming cooling could be achieved at about 5oz’s of gold… but you know, the lands of earth used to be covered in oceans of waters, fragrant chemicals from the plants and tantalizing sensation as the early 80’s people and beyond remember….. …..there’s no trail to this place….I’m looking for sponsorship that want to go for it?😂

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

How do fish die of bends

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

By experiencing a rapid change in pressure. If they come to the surface too rapidly from great depths, the oxygen in their blood will come out of solution. Almost like it's boiling.

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

@@georgehaydukeiii6396 didn’t know Klamath River was that deep🌲

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

​@@JimFarmer-l3nit's not. The pressure change was caused by the pressure increase and decrease of the water going through the tunnel. Basic fluid dynamics. I was just trying to explain it in a way that was easier to understand.

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

@@georgehaydukeiii6396 are you sure? It also takes time I think the more pressure the quicker the build up. Why are you so quick to believe whatever these people say as if they don’t have any thing to lose if something goes wrong? At the same time treating people with questions like dumb asses? It was a rhetorical question that means you don’t have to answer it because everyone already knows the answer

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

​@@JimFarmer-l3nI'm sorry if I made you feel like a dumbass. I certainly didn't mean to. I was just trying to explain how gas bubble disease works. I've worked with fish most of my life.

[@KennyWatson-mu9to]

Watch out , Hoover there coming for You.

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

There. Ain’t ever going be salmon in Klamath lake I hate to break it to native people they have been played

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

Ok dredge, whatever you say!

[@Reed411]

FREE THE SNAKE RIVER!!

[@frankmarin5421]

Polution extreme just wait. No steelhead run this spring. Dead fish

[@aaronjennings8385]

The removal of large dams can create issues, including: Changes in water and sediment flow: When a dam is removed, the water table returns to its natural elevation, which can cause changes in water and sediment flow. This can affect the plants that grew along the reservoir or in the shallow and sediment-filled areas that emerged after dam construction 1 . Loss of wetland and riparian plant communities: These areas provide valuable ecosystem services, such as flood mitigation, erosion control, and wildlife habitat. When a dam is removed, there is a concern that these plant communities may be lost, leading to a decrease in these ecosystem services 1 . Invasive species: Newly exposed sediments might become bare or colonized by non-native, invasive plants. This can lead to a shift in the plant community composition and potentially disrupt the balance of the ecosystem 1 . Sediment load: An increased sediment load following dam removal can cause suffocation and abrasion to various biota and habitats. This can have short-term ecological impacts on the river ecosystem 4 . Lack of monitoring programs: There is often a lack of monitoring programs at privately owned dams, making it difficult to document the impacts of dam removal. This can also limit the understanding of the processes involved in the river's response to the removal and subsequent recovery process 4 . Socioeconomic issues: Opponents of dam removal often cite costs to dam decommissioning, such as the impact on water wells, exposure of land, loss of recreational sites, and the reliance on hydropower as an efficient and inexpensive source of power. These socioeconomic issues are important considerations for decisions about whether or not to remove a dam 4 . Environmental degradation: Dams can cause environmental degradation, such as reduced primary productivity, loss of biodiversity, and declines in native species. Some negative effects worsen as dams age, like structural weakness, reduced safety, sediment accumulation, and high maintenance expense 5 .

[@Dave_9547]

I was particularly struck by the statements at 2:40 in this video. The person speaking seemed to be saying that the goals on the Klamath are to remove all traces of non native settlement including agriculture. It is nice that the Yurok tribe can hope to see a return of historic salmon runs, but if you have watched videos of what happened when these dams were breached it may be a long time. The upper Klamath has essentially been destroyed by fine grained clay silt, how far downstream the damage goes has not yet been reported on. Nothing lives in the river for miles downstream of the breached dams. No fish, no crawfish, no insects.

[@oeautobody3586]

The water was just called unsafe to drink today, could be years before it hits balance.

[@trippinoutdoors]

That's part of the process. When you remove a dam, let alone multiple along a wild river that have been holding back natural water flow and sediment deposits, it builds for the entire time the dams are up. When you breach them, especially if it isn't done in small steps, the sheer force of all that built up sediment, mud and pollutants, alongside the force of the water, will alter the river's course, health and topography heavily. It takes far longer for it to properly recover. But in small steps, it ensures a controlled, gentle release of the water and sediment built up, allowing for a far swifter, more natural recovery and return to a healthy, natural flow and state, like the Elwa in Washington. As far as I understand, they simply detonated the entirety of the Copco dams rather than doing it in small steps. So that's on the company who owned the dams and partially on the coalition that was overseeing their removal. Hopefully they'll be smart and do the remain dam removals in small steps/stages from here on our seeing the mistake it is to replicate the all in one go removal of the Copco dams.

[@Rhodri101283]

That was bound to happen due to the accumulation of silt behind the dams being washed downstream. Of course over the years this will eventually be distributed throughout the system and out to sea, as a natural river will do. Bear in mind that the rivers surrounding Mt St Helens were turned into deadly pyroclastic flows which destroyed literally everything…but those rivers have now recovered. The same will happen here.

[@loragunning5394]

There is no way that that 100 years of silt build up behind the dams could ever be released slowly into the river. This was a known and given fact when the decisions were made to remove the dams. Yes, there would be a period of time with massive devastation. How long that period would last was pretty much unknown. What was known was that the river would eventually clear itself, carrying 100 years of artificially withheld silt down it's course to the sea, and the lands that were once river banks and then lived underwater for 100 years, would revert to being riverbanks once again. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of volunteers helping to restore the native riparian waterways both below and above the dam removal sites. Try to imagine, if you can, the horrendous damage to the existing wild river ecosystem that occurred when these dams were built, ecosystems that had existed for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years. Mother Nature has amazing powers of self-restoration, as has been shown in countless examples over hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Be patient. This river will restore itself, now that is allowed to run free again.

[@johnkilty1419]

Stop spreading misinformation. Most of what you just wrote in wrong or untrue! I did not need a video to watch. I was there the day they popped Copco. I have driven for miles along the river. The Klamath has hundreds of feeder creeks, streams and tributary's. None of the sediment has enter any of those. Water flows down stream , incase you did not know. The day after the opened Copco. I was about 30 miles downstream. The River looked that same as it did after a few days of rain. Not destroyed!

[@jamesbeaucage4564]

everybody else did

[@340wbymag]

The benefits of the river restoration will be felt from the headwaters far out into the ocean, but removing the dams is only a part of the restoration. Tributaries must also be protected so that beavers can create wetlands that will provide habitat for fish, game, and other wildlife, while feeding clean, cool water to the river in the hot, dry months of summer. Beavers are a keystone species. Without them, there will be less water in the rivers during the summers. There will be less groundwater. Wells will run dry, water quality will suffer, and fish will die. The river needs the beavers, and so do we.

[@robertluitjens9044]

wow when the damms are gone ypu will be doing without water and electricity camt wait to hear you liberals when all of what you neen to survive is gone . they arw absolutely not doing this for the environment it is all in their plans for the destruction of the United States. so come back at me wiith oh solar and wind mills will replace the damms lmfao so are they building these so called wind mills ans solar panels. while they are tearing down the damms no. where is the water supply going to come from .

[@robertluitjens9044]

not

[@RonS.-ts8ec]

I think beaver is extinct in u.s., Been stocked with blu haired land manattees

[@peterdorn5799]

the klamath

[@MegaMagaTrumpsavingAmerica]

Trump 2024

[@McSippy]

Free the Snake River next! Please do a film about the damage the Snake dams do

[@nicholasimhoff9230]

Nah, free the sacramento.. and watch food prices triple... California is a human engineered landscape, and dams have a central role in creating water stability for some 30 million people. The value argument is: do we as a society value affordable rice, corn, beef, milk, cheese, or do we value fishing, salmon, trout, etc.

[@stephengneri2136]

remember studying manifest destiny? my bet is most dont.

[@RonS.-ts8ec]

I do, 10th grade , yes we were taught about the slaves and indians, Nazis, colonizers, etc. yes I was also taught about discrimination, the school I went to gave me first hand experience, my high school, McLane high, Fresno CA. Called me to the office 2 days before becoming a jr. To see in person if I was white, I was and was told I could not have any elected classes, at my school because I was white. One of the lady's in the office said transfer to a minority school and you'll probably get what you want. I loved mamasitas, so I transfered to Roosevelt , got my electives(work experience) n my senoritas. That was in 1978

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

Dredge

[@tomg8673]

Already 1 MILLION salmon haves died last week SHOULD HAVE NEVER BUILT THE F😮😮cking DAMNs!

[@robertluitjens9044]

won't be saying that when the water and electricity is gone they already have water shortage and electrical black outs cant wait till the libs in California figure out they been had it will be to late

[@terribleatfishing]

Todays reality of this project is devestatingly sobering. 830000 released salmon died in the last two weeks. The sediment has poisoned the river and will be years if ever to be restores. The truth is it would dry up prior to the Link dam and the indians built the first dam. I live here and this is a sewer of a river atm.

[@danek2391]

There just a bunch of self righteous ball babies.

[@sgtpepperz25]

Food prices go up and the left makes it even harder...sounds about right.

[@brockroberts4258]

Bot

[@robertluitjens9044]

that is the plan

[@robertluitjens9044]

where do you get racist and bot from the truth ypu cant possibly be that stupid

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

Only harder for you sgtpepperz25…...only for you.

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

I agree they’ve played like a fiddle

[@TheRodude34]

vote for RFK

[@chinajoebinlying1773]

You can tell these people don’t believe their own bullshit, especially when he says there isn’t as much water as when the dams were built.

[@brockroberts4258]

Sorry racist, you can’t bully these people who are trying to do the right thing.

[@oeautobody3586]

Could be years before the toxic levels balance out. People are being told not to drink or swim in. They were originally advised to slow down and dredge all the built up crap but no one wanted to do that. Just will be awhile to balance

[@dr.mantistabogginm.d.6891]

​@@brockroberts4258 lol kuck

[@lightstrongcreations]

Killed 1000 salmon doing this

[@kellycraig5568]

We should be building more dams, Not less. Anyone that thinks this is a move foward is a fool. Let all the water just run straight to the ocean, the people doing this are the same onesthat want you to eat bugs and sit in the dark, this is not progress this is stupidity..

[@Dogatemyhomework927]

I’m not against the dam removal. The execution of this has been done poorly. The river is dead

[@brockroberts4258]

Wrong

[@scpatl4now]

...and how should it have been done differently. You obviously seem to think yourself knowledgeable on the subject.

[@Dave_9547]

@@scpatl4now The majority of the damaging clay silt in the reservoirs should have been removed first, not flushed downstream.

[@scpatl4now]

@@Dave_9547Removing the clay is not usually possible from a financial perspective, and a controlled release of sediment is beneficial to the eventual release into the ocean for the estuary

[@oeautobody3586]

News today is don't drink or swim in the Klamath. River was not shown respect in hurry to tear down dam. Dredge was proper from toxins from generations. Balance now will take years.

[@razerginn]

The sediment from the reservoirs being released will destroy all 400 miles. Colossal waste of money

[@laskatz3626]

It must be illegal to create dams! Forever. Building dams is a crime against The Creator.

[@billsmith5109]

I’m sure I’m not the only one that was assured that in the long term the dams would be removed after Dick Cheney engineered the chinook kill. Those at the time publicly snorting ‘Gee, isn’t that terrible’ lacked vision. They couldn’t see they’d made inevitable their cause would be lost. The show is cute, but Dick Cheney more than anyone is responsible for the dams coming out.

[@scpatl4now]

Really what make dam removal inevitable is the economics of the dams. Dams are incredibly expensive to maintain, and to retrofit them to get them up to code and safety standards costs more than taking them out. Most dams that were constructed pre 1970 that are in the small to medium range that haven't necessarily had the best maintenance and don't produce enough electricity or flood protection to pay for themselves will eventually be cheaper to remove as well.

[@rockdean1]

Such bull. You have killed everything in the river. This project was not done properly. This river is dead and will take 35 years to start to repair its self. So sad.

[@scpatl4now]

Bull? Your comment is Bull. This is just beginning. The sediment has to clear out and that takes time, but more like a year or two. Once the native plants are reestablished it will proceed even faster. In 3 years you will see measurable increases in salmon migration...just like they did on the Elwah which is the best comparison to this project.

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

Dredge